THE BEST WAY TO USE
THIS TIFFANY REFERENCE:
If you are concerned regarding a piece of Tiffany Studios
listed on the most popular auction site, the best thing you can do
is
to check our SELLERS TO WATCH section in the left margin.
If the seller is listed there, proceed with caution. The vast majority
of fake Tiffany sellers are nothing more than sellers who turn
over a piece and see a TIFFANY STUDIOS mark and they
think they have the real deal. Frequent sellers of fake Tiffany
can be seen in the alphabetical listing in red italics and you need
to
stay away from those at all costs. Following the Zs is the list of
sellers
who have a name starting with a number. Current fake listings are
shown in the last page where you will find a photo of the item and
directly below the photo is the sellers name.

TO VIEW THE MOST CURRENT
POSTINGS,
GO TO THE PAGE 31

AFTER AN 8 YEAR BATTLE,
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND
THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION CLOSED DOWN
THE GROUP SELLING FAKE AND FRAUDULENTLY SIGNED
TIFFANY LAMPS. THIS ALLOWED THOSE WHO PURCHASED
THESE FAKES TO GET THEIR MONEY BACK. LEADING THIS CRIME
SPREE WAS A LICENSED GEORGIA AUCTIONEER, ALAN BAITCHER
AND THE COMPLETE STORY CAN BE READ BY CLICKING ON
THE ATLANTA THREE
IN THE LEFT MARGIN. JUST SO THERE IS
NO CONFUSION REGARDING THE MOTIVATION, BE ADVISED
THAT THEY USED UP TO 20 DIFFERENT EBAY NAMES AND MANY
DIFFERENT CITIES. BE SURE TO READ THE COMPLETE STORY - THE
ATLANTA THREE - THE $768.287 MISDEMEANOR.
ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE LAMPS WERE RETURNED TO
THE FBI/DOJ, VERIFIED BY ONE OF THE FOREMOST TIFFANY
EXPERTS IN THE WORLD AS FAKES BUT FOR SOME REASON,
NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM WAS DESTROYED THAT WE KNOW OF.
THEY ARE OUT THERE SO BE VERY CAREFUL.

TIFFANY STUDIOSNEW YORK

To use this
site, click on one of the categories on the left which
best suits your interest. Any pictures on the site can be enlarged by
clicking on the picture. This HOME
page will try to show how you
can be a smart shopper and avoid the pitfalls of internet buying
and in particular, to stop you from buying a fake from the many
sellers who make their living this way.

THE FAKES
will show you an exact picture of the items.
For some reason, most of them have had the "Made in Taiwan"
or
"Made in China" stickers removed. All Tiffany fakes offered
for sale
on the internet are not shown on this site.

TIFFANYFAKES.COM
is dedicated to stopping the sale of fake,
fraudulently signed and questionable Tiffany Studios pieces being
sold on internet auction sites. In addition, we will show items that
although are genuine Tiffany Studios, they have been altered or
modified which does adversely affect the value of the item if the
alteration or modification is not disclosed in the listing. We believe
the seller's responsibility is to be truthful. The reason is to protect
the many dealers and collectors of real Tiffany Studio items that
suffer every time a fake is sold or shown. This site will show with
pictures and articles, those items that are fakes and the sellers of
them will be identified and placed on our
SELLERS TO WATCH page.

CURRENT
FAKES ON EBAY
will be shown and will remain
even after the sale has been completed.

COMMENTS
AND QUESTIONS
is your chance to tell your
opinion, make a comment or ask a question.

There
have been requests for the best source of information regarding the
marks used by Tiffany and the best and cheapest reference comes from
Antique & Collectors Reproduction News and is copyrighted
2004. It is titled Bronzes With Fake Tiffany Marksand is 5 pages in length.
Many but not all of
the current fakes are shown in this very informative article and it
shows the
marks used and describes the differences in finishes. They are constantly
updating dealers and collectors with news of the current fakes by
McCoy,
Weller, Roseville and Van Briggle plus many of the very expensive
pieces
that are being faked.

For the least advanced collector
we suggest Louis C. Tiffany's Glass - Bronzes - Lamps
by Robert Koch which can usually be found on Ebay for around $30.00.

For a very long time, the
very best reference book has beenTiffany At Auction
by Alastair Duncan which you could sometimes find on Ebay selling
in the $500.00
to $800.00 range. It now sells for much less since Duncan published
a new and
improved bible on all things Tiffany and it is named Tiffany
- Lamps and Metalware
and sells for approximately $130.00. Many many pictures to help you
identify
the real from the fake.

A recent addition to Tiffany
reference books is a book by William R Holland
-Tiffany
Desk Sets
- and everything you ever wanted to know about Tiffany desk
sets is shown and numbered in this book and as all of the referenced
book,
the photos are beautiful.

If you are having any problems
finding these reference books, let us know and
we will be glad to point you in the right direction.

It is still difficult and
the best and the safest way is to deal with one of the
many respected Tiffany dealers which can be determined by
references from other collectors.

There are
a few real basic rules that could save you a lot of money when buying
Tiffany on Ebay. Read them carefully.

1. Never buy unless there
is an absolute guarantee in the listing that the item offered
is genuine and this guarantee should be backed with a statement
to the effect that the seller will take it back if not genuine.

2. Always be sure and see
the bottom or base of the item. Most pieces will be
signed and when a seller tells you it is signed but fails to show
you the signature,
that seller is usually hiding something. Also remember that "signed
Tiffany"
does not make it Tiffany.

3. The
most expensive frauds are committed by sellers with vague addresses
-
Southeast US, Tiger Country, Home of the Brave, South of the Border
and our all time favorite Route 66.

4. Always
read their feedback and when they have none, shut you checkbook.
Feedback can be gained by buying a lot of cheap junk to make a higher
number
and by reading their feedback closely, you will see what they are
about.

5. Check
their past sales looking for sale of high end pieces and when it is
not there, be careful about who you are dealing with.

6. Provenance
is important but it is not the story - "the owner says it is
Tiffany"
is not provenance.

7. Be very
careful when you see Tiffany offered by a "selling service"
because
they will not stand behind the product and when you pay, the money
is gone.

Remember
that the items posted on this site are the opinions of several advisors
to the site. If it were easy to tell the real from the fake, this
site would not be
necessary and you should use your own judgment regarding the items
shown
on the site. There is no secret agenda, no maliciousness is intended
and we
have no financial interest in the outcome of any auction or sale.

Particular
attention should be given to glass items as they are the most difficult
to determine good from bad and we suggest if you are contemplating
a
purchase, you should consult someone with broad Tiffany experience.

We will immediately
correct any mistakes brought to our attention
but it must be from a recognized authority. The major auction houses,
the recognized experts and the common person have all made mistakes
and
we share that distinction with them.

If there
is anything on the site that offends you, do not visit the site.

BELT BUCKLES

There might be a fake Tiffany
belt buckle shown on some of the
pages but if not, remember that there are no genuine Tiffany Studios
belt buckles ever made. We offer two sites that specialize in this
belt buckle scam and both of them are an excellent reference.

http://www.bogusbuckles.com/

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Buckles.php

TIFFANY
& COMPANY

At no time must Tiffany Studios
be confused with Tiffany
& Company. Tiffany & Company was founded by the father of
Louis Comfort Tiffany, the founder of Tiffany Studios,
and they maintained different locations, different styles and
manufactured different items. See TIFFANY
& COMPANY
in
the left margin and click on it for further
information about them.

ABOUT THE SITE
The opinions expressed on this site are based on information
received from Tiffany collectors, advisors, dealers and others
who have demonstrated that they are knowledgeable and
honest in their opinions.
Any mistakes made will be corrected upon notice.